l recently made pumpkin pie using a mix. l read the instructions, threw the pies in the oven and took them out when they were cooked all the way through. When l woke up the next morning they had splits in the middle. What did l do wrong?
I believe I read that too high heat (even a little bit) and cooking too long will do this. Do you have a reliable oven thermometer? If you trust the thermostat built into your oven, you may be surprised at the actual reading. When you test for doneness, put the tester about 1 inch from the middle of the pie. It will cook a bit after taken out of oven if not put in draft or cool room. If all this doesn't work, check the Internet for troubleshooting such problems. Good luck! (I'll bet they were good, anyway--and don't you have to cut them? Creative slicing can disguise many errors!!)
This happens to me when I use an aluminum pie pan to cook a smaller pie, because it is flexible and flexes when I carry it out of the oven and over to the cabinet or range top, especially if not yet cooled. So,
Just like cheesecake, pumpkin pie has a lot of moisture to bake out. Baking too fast or too hot will create the crack. Usually you start off at a higher temperature for just 15 minutes or so to help the unbaked crust get a head start, and then lower the temperature for the remaining time.
Yes - you cooked for just a few moments too long. It continues to cook for a bit after you take it out of the oven, so you want to take it out just before you're sure it's almost perfect. Remember...when all else fails - take a gorgeous festive bowl, then dump the whole pie upside down into the bowl so it's all broken up w/ crust all through it.
Serve topped with cool whip and no one will ever know.
My mother would salvage her pie and cake disasters by lining a pretty bowl with ladyfingers cookies, and then layering the filling with jam, chopped sugared nuts, more cookies...
I seem to recall ladyfingers cookies soaked in rum, too, but can't tell you how they were used.
